After about a year or so of considering and mental preparation, I am ready to do the dready plunge. My hair wants to be locked... it already does it on its' own, but being the Virgo that I am, can't just let it happen. I demand tiny neat locs! hee hee...

I am interested in twisted locs because due to spiritual preference, I like having my head covered often, and I love the way my hair curls with locs...I like braids and tying my hair up. Even though I bought a dreadheadhq wax and some combs, I don't really think I want to backcomb...it just doesn't sit right with me.

So I experimented last week with twisting my hair. Even before I added a petroleum-based wax (something easy to wash out if it didn't work) my hair stayed in place with beautiful twists. But by the second & third day, they were poofy and messy and no amount of hand-twisting or wax could fix them.

So, any suggestions? How do I get them to stay locked tight at the roots? I dig the saltwater method being discussed here, but I'd like some input on crocheting dreads and such. I'll post pictures as soon as I can!

please, don't ever put petrolum in you locks, that stuff will just help it slip out of any loc, like a greased pig through a farm boys legs. you may want to try rubberbands and salt water. the bands at the scalp, not to tight. never rub a towle on your head, wash with pantyhose over your head and let your locks dry before removing the hose. can a virgo go without a hair washing for a week at a time? oh the DHHQ wax washes out , no problem

Hey Amber,
Good luck with this process. It seems to be different for everybody. Maybe thats part of the beauty of it, but sometimes it can feel a little out of control when you're trying to find good info that relates to your experience. There is a lot of good info to be had in this tribe.
I, for me, don't use wax on my hair, I'm too afraid of build-up. I use gel type products, even though my hair is very persistently curly. Right now I am using an Aveda product called Confixor. It seems to hold pretty well, and smells nice. For my scalp I make a rosemary EO spritz, which I found through a link here, I can send you the recipe if you like.
I started out with a 'loctitian', but what she was using on my haed was making my scalp itch like crazy, so after about 3 months of this, I decided to wing it on my own, in no small part based on info I found here. At this point, a lot of my hair wasn't locing up, much to my panic, but with daily maintenance, twisting gently, and more recently, the addition of a really small crochet hook to my repetoir, things are starting to come together nicely.
I hope this helps a little bit. Be patient, ask a lot of questions, experiment a little, and things will come together for you too.

Not much to add about twisting as I've never done it...I think it looks beautiful...I've never had build-up problems with dreadheadhq wax...I agree about petroleum - it seems to go counter to what your hair wants to do...just keep your scalp and hair Dry and Clean - dry is the key, so don't over wash and less is more when it comes to products.

I started with twists and the only thing I did was use bees wax (melted, from a bar, not in a jar) and do the palming technique.
I've had them for 5.5 years now and they just keep growin.
Good luck!
Here's my website of my hair transformation process.
You can click on the images and clickthru.
www.rhondanelson.com/dreads/

You might want to try using a gentle astringent applied to your scalp with a cotton ball between washings to combat this. I use a nice cucumber/witch hazel one I get from Trader Joe's, and it really helps me extend the time between washing's. After a few months go by, you might find that the ph of your scalp will balance out and things will get happy.
And Jojoba oil is great for the dryness as I read that it most closely resembles our own natural oil production.

Hi amber,
my dreads are still 'new' (about 5 mos old now) and I did basically what you've described- but- I did do a bit of backcombing here & there. Not a lot mind you, but here's what I'd do:
1. rub the hair, get it a bit ruffed up
2. twist to the left, fairly loosely
3. backcomb intermittantly while the hair is twisted
4. twist it to the right, again fairly loosely
5 repeat backcomb

I found that backcombing the twisties helped them lock- but you don't want to twist too much because you and undo what you've tangled.

Did this make any sense at all?

Also- FWIW, my dreads are twisties (for the most part) but I DO have some crazy lumpies (to the point where my dreads look like curly hair, especially in the few days after I wash it) I know that many people wouldn't like their dreads to look like mine, but I totally dig them. After a few days they usually are pretty flattened out and my lumpies are not nearly as noticeable.
I'll get my son to take a photo of them so you can see them. Mind you, I washed last night, so they're extra crazy!!!